Tuesday, July 27, 2010

This weekend my family met up in Virginia for a family reunion. Over dinner, I was telling my aunts about how I recently played "Round Ball" and "Crack an Egg on Your Head" with my three-year-old nephew. I remembered this as a little girl, but couldn't remember which aunt played those games with me.

They remembered! My Aunt Carol would play "Round Ball, Round Ball" with me which from researching had variations. Basically the way it goes is, you take the child's little arm and start with their hand.

Playing Round Ball, Round Ball

1. Using your pointer finger in the palm of the kid's hand, making a circular motion you sing, "Round ball, round ball, pull a little hair" then lightly tug on the child's hair.

2. "One slice, two slice" making soft chopping or cutting motions on their arm (as if your slicing up a loaf of bread) using you pointer finger.

3. "Tickle under there!" and you end with a gentle tickle under the child's arm.

Crack An Egg On Your Head

My Aunt Sue had her own relaxing game she would play with me when I was about 13. I never tire of this one. As a girl at camp, we'd often do this while waiting for dinner to be served. Here's how it goes.

1. Have the child or your friend sit in front of you with their back towards you.
2.Pretend to crack an egg on their head and sing, "crack and egg on your head and let the yolk drip down, let the yolk drip down, let the yolk drip down."
3. While singing about the yolk dripping down, you use your fingertips starting from the top of their head down to the middle of their back slowly giving the chills to your friend or child.

I found this demonstration video on YouTube of "Crack An Egg" and other fun activities moms can do with their kids while trying to kill time or before bed. Do you do any of these goosebumpy activities with your kids?

21 comments:

I vaguely remember "Crack an Egg" but also recall one that ended with "cool breeze, now you've got the shiveries". Anyone remember how that game went? Wait, I got it. Also done with person sitting in front of you.

I remember this, I used to hold my baby's palm and trace around the edge of and say: round and round the garden, like a teddy bear, then I would walk my fingers up her arm and would say: One step, two steps pause for effect and they say tickle uner there, by tickling under her arm.

The version my sister, cousins and I did of "crack an egg" was a little less child friendly, it included the line "stab a knife in your back, let the blood trickle down". And our version of "x marks the spot" went "x marks the spot with the dot dot dot and the dash dash dash and a question mark"; I don't remember where it went from there.

My grandfather never actually played any of these games with us (I barely remember him speaking), but he was great at the fake egg crack. He would slap his fist with the open palm of his other hand on top of your head just right to make it sound like he really cracked an egg on your head. He tried to freak us out by surprising us with it.

X marks the spotWith a dash and a dotAnd a biiiiiiig question markUpstreamDownstreamAnd all around streamA knife in the backAnd all the blood comes outTight squeezeCool breezeNow you've got the shiveries